{"id":1115129,"date":"2019-11-12T10:45:33","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T10:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1115129"},"modified":"2019-11-12T10:45:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T10:45:33","slug":"trent-alexander-arnold-xabi-alonso-esque-liverpool-defender-hailed-for-redefining-a-longstanding-role","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/trent-alexander-arnold-xabi-alonso-esque-liverpool-defender-hailed-for-redefining-a-longstanding-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Trent Alexander-Arnold: ‘Xabi Alonso-esque’ Liverpool defender hailed for ‘redefining’ a longstanding role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch believes\u00a0Trent Alexander-Arnold is “redefining the way full-backs play”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 21-year-old is operating at such a level that he currently possesses a passing range equivalent to club legend Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, according to Crouch.<\/p>\n

How good is Alexander-Arnold’s passing? Five things to know…\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  • Alongside Robertson,\u00a0Alexander-Arnold has registered the most Premier League assists in 2019 (12).<\/li>\n
  • Earlier this term he became\u00a0the first Liverpool player ever to assist in five consecutive Premier League games.<\/li>\n
  • He was also recently entered into the Guinness World Records for the most English Premier League assists by a defender in a single season.<\/li>\n
  • Only Kevin De Bruyne (43) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Alexander-Arnold (42).<\/li>\n
  • The Liverpool defender has played more passes into the final third than any Premier League outfielder this season (127).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7417751<\/p>\n

    The England international has forged a reputation for his ability to surge up the byline and operate, effectively, as a second winger.<\/p>\n

    Alongside left-back Andrew Robertson, the duo have collectively registered 30 Premier League assists since the start of last season.<\/p>\n

    They have both been instrumental in Liverpool’s current eight-point gap atop the English top-flight table, and Crouch has now compared Alexander-Arnold’s\u00a0passing ability to two of the best the game has ever seen.<\/p>\n

    “With what they do for this Liverpool team, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are redefining the way full-backs play,” Crouch told BBC Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “With their runs forward and balls into the box they have always offered such an attacking threat along with the front three, but now they are passing to each other too.<\/p>\n

    “I remember when I was playing for Liverpool, the full-backs were passing it inside to Gerrard or Xabi Alonso, who would play the diagonal balls forward.<\/p>\n

    “Well, Trent is doing that himself now, from his position, and he is doing it just as well as Gerrard or Alonso.”<\/p>\n